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GARVING PORK. No. 247,03?. Patented opt. 13,1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

lJOHN GERARD, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO LANDERS, FRARY 85 CLARK, OF SAME PLACE.

CARVING-FORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 247,037, dated September 13, 1881.

Application tiled July 30, 1881. (Model.)

To all whom it may concern: 4

Beit known that I, JOHN GERARD, of New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Carving-Forks; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and 1o which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a rear elevation Fig. 2, a sectional side view; Fig. 3, transverse section on line 0c fr. This invention relates to an improvement in '15 that class of carving-forks which are provided with a combined guard and rest, hinged to the shank so as to be turned down upon the fork when not in use, but turned up so that the part above the fork serves as a guard and the part 2o below will serve as a support, upon which the fork will rest when placed upon the table, the object of the invention heilig a simple construction ofjoint which shall serve as a spring to hold the guard in either of its two positions, and also serve to throwit into its position when it has been turned near to either; and the invention consists in a bifurcated rest extended above the junction ofthe two legsto form the guard, the junction being a tlat har between 3o the two legs, arranged in a recess transversely across the shank, combined with a spring on the shank, to bear upon said bar and hold it in either of its two positions, as hereinafter described. A represents the prongs of the l'ork, B the shank, and C the handle, all of substantially the usual shape. The rest is ot bifurcated shape, consisting of two legs, D D, joined at their upper end by a har, a, and extended up 4o to form the guard E.

Transversely across the back of the fork is a notch, b, within which Vthe cross-bar a is placed. This cross .bar is square, or so as to present a flat surface parallel with the plane of the guard and rest, and also a fiat surface at substantially right angles thereto.

The rest and guard are best made from thin sheet metal. In that case the cross-bar a is a thin Hat bar, as seen in Fi g. 2.

On the hack of the shank B is placed a dat 5c spring, F, attached by one end to the shank near the prongs. The other or free end rests upon the cross-bar, as seen in Fig.. 2, and by its force tends to hold the guard down upon the back of the fork, as there shown.

When the guard is turned up, as seen in broken lines, Fig. 2, and the rest downward, the cross-har a acts as a cam upon the spring and forces the spring backward until it passes over the angle and falls upon the upper edge 6o of the bar, as seen'in broken lines, and in that position the spring serves to hold the guard and rest in position for use. When .the guard is down the spring will lie close upon the hack ot' the shank. To prevent foreign substances 65 from entering between the spring and back of the shank, so as to interfere with the proper working of the spring, I construct the shank with a recess, d, on its hack, covered by the spring, which will receive what little foreign 7o substances may enter between the spring and shank.

To make an exit for the foreign substances (or may he water) which enter between the spring and shank, I make an opening, e, down through the shank from the recess d, through which water or small particles which may enter the recess l will pass out.

I claiml. In a carving-fork, the bifurcated rest and 8o guard, constructed with a cross-bar, a, said har arranged in a recess on the shank, to serve as a hinge on which the guard and rest will turn, with a spring, F, arranged to operate upon said bar, substantially as described.

2. 1n a carving-fork, the bifurcated rest and guard, constructed with a cross-bar, a, said har arranged in a recess on the shank, to serve as a hinge on which the guard and rest will turn, with a spring, F, arranged to operate upon said 9o bar, with a recess, d,in the shank beneath the spring, and an opening, e, from said recess, substantially as described.

JOHN GERARD.

Witnesses:

J. C. A'rwoon, C. S. LANDERs. 

